


In Your Head

by Trollvine



Category: Arrow (TV 2012), DCU (Comics)
Genre: F/M, Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-05-01
Updated: 2014-11-10
Packaged: 2018-01-21 11:16:15
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 4
Words: 5,764
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1548602
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Trollvine/pseuds/Trollvine
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Oliver finds something that doesn't belong to him, but both he and Felicity pay a strange price.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. In your Head

**Author's Note:**

> This is chapter 1 of probably my last Arrow fanfic for the near future, though it may be rewritten and touched up. This is the kind of work that i'd like to collaborate on with someone. I wanted a LOT of sexual tension that i'm not sure i was able to properly convey, but i've had this idea in my head for months and I had to get at least part of it out. It feels thin to me, but it's what i have right now, so please don't be afraid of giving me feedback, rewriting it, or giving me pointers on my style. Thanks!

Oliver gasped in pain, stumping his way heavily down the stairs. The gash in his shoulder seeped blood, staining his dark leather jacket an even darker crimson. Above him, the dull throb of speakers began to fade, replaced with the soft whine of fluorescent lights and the whirr of computer databanks. 

"Oliver?" Felicity's worried voice cut across the underground bunker. "Are you alright? I prepped the table when you didn't respond, you know, that usually means you're coming back with something, gross, for me to work on."

Oliver winced, allowing felicity to help him across to the medical table, gently sitting himself on the edge. 

"Lost my earpiece in the scuffle. There are more of Blood's followers than i was expecting. But that is an issue for Starling's finest now."

Felicity shook her head, peeling back the torn, bloody scraps of leather. "We really need a pouch on that quiver for a cell phone. And maybe some new armor if Blood's boys are starting to carry, what, hunting knives?" 

Oliver gripped the table as Felicity cleaned the ugly gash on his shoulder. "Not sure this was one of Blood's. This wasn't just some thug off a prison bus, he was quicker, tougher. Got him with two arrows, didn't even slow him down." He shifted, pulling something out of his pocket as Felicity finished cleaning up his cut. "But he did leave something behind." 

Felicity looked as Oliver held up the object. It was shaped like a disc, slightly less than an inch thick, small enough to fit in the palm of a hand. 

"What is that?" Felicity held out her hand, and Oliver passed it over, trading her for bandages and medical tape. 

"No idea. The quick guy dropped it. Could be a some kind of computer part, maybe a hard drive, maybe a container for something."

Felicity took the disc, holding it up to the light. "I doubt it belongs to a computer. It looks like theres some kind of button…" She squeezed it gently with her fingers, prodding the middle with her other hand. 

Oliver unwound gauze from the roll, making a small patch for his shoulder. "Well, I'm sure we'll figure it out. Has Dig contacted you yet? I want to know if he's seen…"

Oliver looked up suddenly, his eyes wide with concern as Felicity coughed, hacking violently. Her body trembled and shook, and she dropped to one knee, still clutching the disc. She gasped for breath between coughs, placing her free hand on her chest.

"Felicity!" Oliver leapt off the table, kneeling next to her and putting his arm around her shoulders. "Are you alright? Whats wrong, whats happening?" He could feel her shuddering, moving so fast she was vibrating in his arms. 

Felicity spasmed and shook, squirming in Oliver's embrace. Her fingers still clutched the disc, flexing and squeezing it tightly. Oliver tilted her head, gritting his teeth as he turned his head against his wounded shoulder, looking down into Felicity's eyes. 

His mouth fell open in surprise. Felicity's normally soft blue eyes were a bright, acidic green. They widened with predatory focus, and Oliver was caught by surprise as her elbow crashed with pinpoint force into his ribs, winding him instantly. The breath was forced from his lungs as Felicity's hand snaked around his back, gripping the back of his head and yanking him backwards, slamming him into the floor. Oliver gasped, trying to recover and regain his footing, but Felicity was on him, straddling him as he lay on his back and stabbing his wound with two fingers. Her nails ground deep into the skin, and Oliver tried to cry out with empty lungs, managing only a timid gasp. 

"Ah ah ah, naughty boy, wicked boy..." Felicity crooned gently at him, the lack of urgency in her voice surprising. She didn't sound winded or frantic, just calmly forcing Oliver to twist in pain beneath her. She leaned down, sliding her fingers aside and licking his fresh wound, slathering it generously with her tongue. Where her tongue passed, tingling pin pricks of sensation bloomed into his muscles. Oliver felt his arm go slack, the muscles growing lethargic while the sensation was heightened. Every shift of the material in his clothes, the cold firmness of the floor and the hot dragging of Felicity's tongue assailed his senses and mind, threatening to overwhelm him. Even the soft whine of the lights and the quiet drone of the computers crept into his ears, lighting him up with feeling. 

"Thats right, now you're acting like a good boy." Felicity straightened up, placing her palms on Oliver's chest. Her voice was off, a trembling edge coming from the back of her throat. She sounded strong, confident, but sickly. She grinned, licking her teeth. Crystal clear fluid oozed freely from her mouth, and her breath smelled amazing. Oliver's heightened senses blazed with desire as the prickling lethargy and enflamed sensation feeling crept across his abdomen and spread into his other limbs. 

Oliver realized suddenly that he had his mouth was open, his body displaying several signs of urgency and desperate desire. He fought with his mind, willing his limbs to work again as his body struggled against him. He tried to focus, but the cloying scent of Felicity's suddenly different breath made his head swim. His own mouth began watering, and opened again as soon as he stopped focusing on keeping it shut. 

Above him, Felicity suddenly stopped her lascivious chest massage. She moaned slightly, shaking her head, blinking her eyes. Oliver's thoughts shimmered and sharpened again, whatever pheromones he was fighting fading slightly. 

"O-Oliver…?" Felicity looked down, blinking in confusion. "W-wha-?" 

Oliver rocked back and forth. "Felicity, what the hell are you doing? Whats going on?"

Felicity closed her eyes, her body suddenly alive again with the alien energy. She met Oliver's eyes again, grinning again. "No little boy, no." She leaned down, her face stern. "I am Toxious, Mistress of Maladies, Dominatrix of Delirium!" She gently took Oliver's face in her hands, bringing her lips close to his. "Oliver Queen, you are going to be my favorite pet…" 

Their lips met, and Oliver's mind shuddered. Felicity's tongue forced open his lips and teeth as she coaxed her own sudden excess fluid with it. Her saliva was intoxicating, burning a hot sensation like alcohol across his mouth and throat as she flexed her tongue, forcing him to swallow. Oliver fought frantically to keep his head, as every impulse in his body screamed at him to give up. Darkness flickered at the edges of his vision as his struggles weakened. The sound in the room began to fade, the gentle warm of sleep and the sensual weight of Felicity on top of him forced him gently up to the edge on unconsciousness. 

Then he heard a voice, a yell, and the dull sound of someone being struck in the head. The weight of Felicity on his abdomen went limp, and she toppled off him. Oliver's mind and vision gently throbbed back into focus. He saw a scrawny young man, thin and gangling with a mess of red hair. He looked malnourished and sickly, but his green eyes pierced Oliver. He let the pipe in his hands drop with a clatter, and folded his hands behind his back. Oliver groaned in pain as the man leaned over him, and he saw two deep marks he recognized immediately as arrow wounds. 

"Oliver Queen, is it? My name is Robby Reed. And I think you have something that belongs to me."


	2. Voices

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Oliver learns what he's brought back, and what it did to Felicity

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> More Robby Reed than Oliver and co. but i really wanted to share the Arrow spin on an obscure fandom i'm in love with.

Oliver blinked. His base slowly came back into focus, his mind numbing things back to a comfortable level. He could feel his arms and legs start to respond to his mental commands to move. 

His neck cricked painfully as he looked over at Felicity's form, lying limp. Above her stood his uninvited guest, a man calling himself Robby Reed. 

Robby stood up, yelping happily as he brought the strange disc up with him. He clutched it, grinning and swaying like a child with a favorite toy. 

"Yes! yes yes yes yes, so glad i wasn't wrong." He turned to Oliver. "When I dropped it, I thought it could be gone forever! Gotta be more careful, but thank you, thank you so much for finding this more me!"

Oliver eyed him angrily, pain from his ordeal with Felicity wracking his body. 

"What the hell is that thing, what did it do to my friend? I swear, if you or that thing hurt her…"

Robby looked at him, his eyes widening as if just noticing him. 

"Oh! So sorry, but no, I have to go. I've spent too much time here, in this lovely club of yours. But no, no, I have to leave. Don't worry about your friend, she'll be fine, just let her sleep. Ta ta!"

He turned to head for the stairs, only to find the disc out of his hands and the blood in his nose spattering across his lip from the punch. Diggle grabbed Robby by the scruff of his shirt, his other hand holding the disc. 

"Sorry man, but you don't get to leave. Two friends on the floor and you seem happy about that." He gently shook the disc. "This too. So you aren't going anywhere until we get some answers." 

Robby flailed and screamed, sudden rage overtaking him. His tiny frame and thin limbs battered Diggle, who held the object out of Robby's reach. 

"That's mine, mine! Give me that back, you don't understand! I need it, give it to me!"

Oliver painfully regained his feet. He plucked an arrow from the ground where his quiver had fallen, striding over to Diggle and Robby. 

"Give me that thing Diggle, and see if Felicity is alright." 

Oliver grabbed Robby, hurling him to the ground. The red haired man screamed as he was tossed, landing hard on the arrow cut in his leg. Oliver stood on it, pressing it into the floor as Robby screamed and wailed in pain. Diggle checked Felicity, holding fingers to her neck.

"She's got a pulse Oliver, bump on the head. I think she'll be okay." He lifted her gently, placing her on the table. "I'll bring her around." 

Oliver nodded gratefully, turning his attention back to Robby.

"About an hour ago I shot someone through the leg, but they still managed to get away. They were in a building with some people who deserve a lot worse, so let me make this crystal clear. You answer my questions, truthfully, and maybe I only break your toy and hand you over to the cops."

Diggle tossed the disc over, which Oliver caught, holding it carefully in his hand. 

Robby looked up, gritting his teeth. "Damn it, I wasn't there helping them! I was looking for someone! A friend of mine went missing, I thought he had been taken by the gang! He came to Starling for school, but then he went missing! The police were no help, ever since the quake they're too busy with too many missing people, I had to do something!" His eyes darted to the disc in Oliver's hand. "So I did." 

Oliver tapped his arrow. "The man I saw at the warehouse was quick. He was strong, by the way he vaulted. Are you saying that was you, Mr. Reed? So, you've come to Starling and taken the law into your own hands, and now whatever that thing you brought in has turned my friend's mind upside down. Tell me what it is. Now."

Robby lifted his eyes to Oliver, and for the first time Oliver saw that he was still a young man. But his eyes were lightless, his face creased by lines of worry, and dark. "It does something to you. It changes you. Changes your body, your brain… even your mind." He rubbed his eyes, sighing heavily. Oliver crossed his arms. 

"Thats why Felicity thought she was someone else? This… Toxious person?"

Robby nodded, looking sullenly up at Oliver. "It puts someone else in your head… new name, new things you can do… but the first few times, it's hard to not lose yourself." His eyes pierced upward, meeting Oliver's gaze. They were utterly bloodshot, and he looked haunted, sweat beading now on his skin, and his lips trembling.

"Every time, every time I change, a little more of them comes back with me, and a little more of me gets left behind." He looked down again suddenly, putting his face in his hands. His voiced cracked again, and he seemed on the verge of crying. He squirmed, and Oliver eased the tension on Robby's wounded leg.

"I remember things I don't think ever happened to me. I'm sad for lost people who were never lost by me, but by them. I feel their happiness, their sadness, all their darkest and most secret thoughts, every time, every time I change. It's been too much, too many times, i think, i don't know, i don't know what i'm going to do anymore…"

Chris broke off, lifting his hands away from his face. Tears streamed down his cheeks from his hollow eyes, which he closed. "I'm sorry Oliver. I'm sorry for what happened to your friend. It was that thing that did it to her." He opened his eyes again and looked at the disc in Oliver's hand. "That, is mine. I found it, and it is the most amazing thing i've ever held in my hands." He looked up at Oliver, slowly, until their eyes met.

"Its called an H-Dial."


	3. Getting to know you

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Oliver is left alone with the H-Dial, and steps into Felicity and Robby's shoes.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I've finally panned this out, four chapters, and the last one is half done. I had SO much fun creating/researching the characters Oliver meets in his head.
> 
> Again, feel free to send me feedback/constructive criticism! I'd love to hear it!

Oliver turned the dial slowly in his hands, glancing down at Robby and easing the pressure on the younger man's wounded leg. 

"So, this thing wrecks your brain and mutates your body, but you keep using it?" 

He stepped back, letting Robby slowly wobble to his feet. "Sounds like a drug, and that would make you an addict." His eyes narrowed. "I have a lot of bad history with drugs." 

Robby wiped his nose and face on his grimy sleeve, still looking at the dial. He shook his head slowly. "You don't understand, it can be controlled, I know it can. You have to give it back to me." He met Oliver's eyes again. "Please?" 

Oliver held the dial up by his face, out of reach of a sudden swipe from Robby. "So you can do what with it, shoot yourself up and play hero? Be careless with it and let it fall into innocent hands?" He gestured at Felicity's still form, lying on the table.

Robby cocked his head to one side, rubbing his neck. His eyes wandered slowly. "I have friends I have to find. I can use that to help me. But theres people, some people that want to hurt me. Or take the dial, or both, I don't know. I need that to keep myself safe." He scuffed his shoes awkwardly. "No one will help me." 

Oliver crossed his arms, still holding the dial. "Maybe I can help you, Robby. You can rest here tonight, there are some cots in the back. But the dial stays with me. Tomorrow, we'll start looking for your friends."

He expected Robby to whine, to argue and demand the dial back. But instead he turned and padded into the shadows behind the storage crates, making for a cot. He sniffled a bit. 

"Alright, I trust you, Mr. Queen. Besides, if you keep that, then my problems might just become yours."

Oliver made to speak, but he heard Robby flop onto a cot, metal pipes groaning with the young man's weight. He turned to Diggle. "Wonder what he means by that." 

Diggle shrugged. "No idea. You sure about letting him stay here? What happened to Felicity, anyway?" 

Carefully, Oliver looked her over. She seemed calm now, breathing lightly. Her pulse was normal, as if she was sleeping. "I'm not sure. She used this thing, apparently. She got a little hands on after that." 

Diggle shook once with a silent chuckle. "Don't think she needs a magic gizmo to make her feel that way, Oliver." He got a dirty look for his joke.

"It wasn't her though, this was… really out of character for her. She called herself by another name, her eyes… " He shook his head. "I think i'm going to rest here tonight. Too much going on, I should stay close." 

Diggle shrugged his shoulders. "You got it. I'll stick around too, keep an eye on Felicity, and whatever that is."

Two hours later, Oliver fought sleep in the dark basement. The club had cleared out, and only the dim hum of electronics buzzed quietly in the background. Felicity had been wakened, but was tired. Oliver had decided to not tell her what had really happened, telling her she had just fainted from the severity of his wound. She and Diggle had run out to grab some coffee. 

The dial sat on the desk beside him, and Oliver stared at it, his mind going back to Felicity. He could still taste her saliva in his mouth. He felt a lingering bit of shame and surprise, thinking back to how easily she had overpowered and taken advantage of him. His mind wandered around the encounter between them, replaying what had happened, speculating on where it might have gone if not for Robby's intervention. 

Slowly, Oliver realized he was touching the dial, running his fingers gently around the edge. It had numerals etched gently around the edge, barely visible. In the center was a single, circular button. The entire thing was made of some kind of metal, corroded and coated dust. 

He gently picked up the dial. It was a lot heavier than it looked, he realized. When he gently turned it in the light, he could catch the edges of the little numbers etched into the metal. He stared, seeing the numbers four, three, seven and six had been nearly rubbed off the metal. 

"The most amazing thing i've ever held in my hands…" Robby's voice echoed in Oliver's head. His thumb passed gently over the button in the center. He murmured to it. 

"What is your secret, little dial. Why does Robby need you so much?" He slowly let the dial slide down to his palm, and placed his thumb on the center. "What, is your secret…" He paused, for a moment. Then, he pressed his thumb down. 

Oliver's eyes shot wide as he squeezed the dial. Pin points darted from the hidden crease along the dials edge, massaging into his palm at lightning speed. He could feel his hand change, his hairs prickling as sensations roiled up his arm, exploding into his chest and head. His mind boiled and squirmed in revolt, as memories elbowed their way brutally into his head. His mind took these in, not as someone reading a biography of another person, but as something experienced himself. He leapt with joy as he lost someone else's virginity. He stung with heartache as a lover he had never met left him forever. His parents, Clive and Mary, beamed with pride as he graduated, got married, then a car accident, the island, his memory, but someone new, a boy named Marcus, Thea, his memory, a council of men in green robes, not his memory. His stomach churned as emotions and thoughts that were never his ran roughshod through his mind, squeezing together into one. Two people, two minds, two tortured souls. 

Oliver looked down at his hands. Shades of scars he had never gotten creeped beneath his skin. He looked up, vision swimming. He heard voices, calling his name, but they seemed far away and foggy. He shook his heard, trying to answer, but couldn't make out who, or where.

"Come on, Flaming Arrow, you're always so on the mark!" 

A new voice cut in. Oliver turned suddenly, looking for the speaker. He saw, clear as a day, a well dressed man, buttoned vest, sport coat, tailored pants and leather shoes. He doffed his fedora, smiling through a haze of stubble. 

"Wait." Oliver stared. "I know you! You're Daria Kent… Drag King! I was there with you, when the androids came, and when we all founded the Red Light Warriors, and, when.. when Tomboy…"

Daria Kent, aka Drag King, smiled sadly. "Lots of us are gone, Quincey. Twink Kid, Otokoyaku, both halves of Twincest… But no one is truly dead. They live on in our hearts and memories. Their legacy lives on as well, in those they inspire to walk this path, without fear." 

For some reason, Oliver's heart soared with pride. Somehow he knew that this person, Drag King, was a hero, a champion of justice beyond compare. He swooned slightly.

"Oliver! Oliver Queen!" A new voice, behind him. He turned, greeting a giant bearded man, shirtless, but with black pants. The vision shimmered a moment, then the man spoke. 

"Jack Dawson! Bear Back! Come on, you know me! Boi Wonder and Femme Fatal are here too! The Fetish Family, Defenders of Freedom!" 

Another person cleared their throat, and Oliver turned, and saw Diggle. He looked nervous, holding a coffee cup with Felicity peering out from behind him. 

"Oliver, who are you talking to? It's just me and Felicity, back with our coffee." 

Oliver turned back to Drag King, who smiled. "Whats wrong, Oliver? Aren't you happy to see us?" 

Oliver tried to think, hard. His name was Oliver Quinc… QUEEN. Oliver QUEEN. The Starling city police called him Flaming Arrow, and he was a champion of the common people. No, wait… They called him The Hood.. didn't they? His parents were Robert and Moira Queen, right, that fit. His sister.. no, he had no sister, he was sure of that. He had spent five years in a boy's primary school… on an island? No, the school wasn't on the island, that was something else. That was Oliver Queen's island. 

Drag King slowly stepped towards him. "Oliver? Flaming Arrow? Are you okay?" 

Oliver's mouth dropped wordlessly open. He could only stare as his world trembled and squirmed in his head. His name was Oliver, Oliver Queen Quincey Hood Flaming Arrow Starling City Midnight Metropolis A War and Death a Team of Heroes Island Sara Bondage Shado Thea Roy Dolly Boy an arrow and another and a Count and Officer Quentin and the Red Light Warriors and Slade an Underground a Reformation and Tommy and Robert and Gorgeous and Daddy's Boy and fireandstoneandmirakuruandRobertandPinkertonand

"OLIVER!" His face stung as Felicity slapped him, hard. "Oliver Queen! Come back to us!"

Drag King shimmered, the figure starting to grow fuzzy. He hadn't passed out. He hadn't had some fever dream, or fallen over. Somehow, memories, new memories of things long passed had squirmed into his head, taking their place among his own past, a jumbled timeline of two lives. A hallucination, but it lingered. It was horrifyingly, unquestioningly, real. As real as the sweat on his body, or the lingering sting of Felicity's slap. Oliver felt his knees go weak.

"Every time." Robby's voice cut in, and they all turned. The young man was leaning against one of the glass cases, his arms folded, watching all three of them. "Every time you use it, thats what happens. Now you know, Oliver." 

Oliver look at the dial in his trembling hands. "I see. I think I understand now, Robby." He looked back at Robby. "Take this away from me. I never want to touch this thing again." Slowly, he walked towards Robby, passing over the dial. "I'll help you find your friends, and get you guys out of town." 

Oliver turned and walked to Diggle and Felicity. He nodded at both of them. "Felicity, i've got something you need to hear about." 

Behind him, Robby clutched the dial to his chest, and grinned.


	4. Ringtone

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The long gestating conclusion!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Fair Warning. This ending has been rushed. I need to finish this and get it off my mind to focus on moving forward with a bunch of other projects!

Streetlights strobed over the hood of Oliver's car as it passed down Starling's streets. Diggle drove, Felicity sitting shotgun with Oliver and Robby in the back. 

Robby stared out the window, taking in the city. "Thank you for your help locating my friends, you guys. And for the plane ticket to Littleville." He looked over at Oliver and smiled. "It means a lot."

Oliver nodded gently. Earlier that day Felicity had tracked Robby's friends through their various records. They had been seen by an airport camera arriving in Littleville. 

"You're welcome, Robby. I hope Vicki and Roxie can help you figure out what to do with that thing." 

Robby smiled and sighed wistfully. "Smart ladies, haha. Almost as clever as you, Felicity!" 

Felicity had spent most of the day with her face buried in her hands after what Oliver told her she had done. She refused to believe at first, until she pulled up the closed camera footage. 

"Thanks, Robby." She murmured. "Just get back to Littleville safe." 

Diggle turned towards the bridge. "Traffic cleared up, looks like it'll be an easy pass over the bridge." 

The black car started across the bridge. Diggle narrowed his eyes. "Too empty… Something up ahead." 

Oliver squinted through the windshield. "Looks like vans across the bridge… blocking." He went rigid. "Turn around, we're being boxed in!" 

Diggle spun the wheel aggressively, making the tires scream on the pavement as the car whipped around. 

There was a loud roaring sound. Felicity screamed, Oliver and Diggle yelled. The car rolled, the left side bouncing up as it crashed onto it's hood in an angry shower of sparks. 

Oliver wriggled free of his seatbelt, kicking the door open. He rolled out, struggling to his feet. He squinted back from where they had come.

Slade Wilson stood, framed in the lights of a second barrier of vans in his Deathstroke gear. The orange and black mask bobbed as he tossed the remote detonator control aside, drawing his blade. 

"Mr. Queen! I have been patient long enough! I think it's time for our little back and forth to end!" 

Diggle groaned, freeing Felicity and dragging her from the car. As he tried to stand, he shouted in pain. His leg was torn by some piece of metal from the car, and he fell back onto one knee. 

"Diggle!" Oliver turned his back on Slade, running over as Felicity moaned in pain. 

"So glad you brought everyone, Mr. Queen. I can take care of your little team all at once, and be done with this city!" Slade drew his pistol and fired, hitting Oliver twice in his right leg. He screamed in pain and fell to his knees next to Felicity. 

"What the hell is your problem!" Slade glanced as Robby raised himself to his feet from where he had freed himself. 

Robby stood, framed by the burning wreckage of the car. Slade pointed his blade at him. "You're out of your league, kid. Step aside, or I will put you down."

Robby held up the dial, unflinching. "You don't scare me, old man. Oliver told me all about some jerk all jacked up on some drug called Mirakuru." He stood between Slade and Felicity, without moving. "But your little drug is just a bad party trick, and I am the whole fucking carnival!"

Slade moved suddenly, rushing towards him with sword at the ready. Oliver and Felicity both yelled, but Robby just squeezed the Dial. "I'm Jack-In-Irons!" 

Slade swung the blade, aiming straight for Robby's neck. The young man's arms flew straight up, catching the blade with the scratching clang of metal on metal. Osteoblasts on hyperdrive in Robby's body ossified his bone at lightning speed, far beyond the strength of a normal human. Robby grinned at Slade's surprise, even as his flesh was cut, and slammed his skull into Slade's mask. There was a crunching sound as bone defeated metal, bending the eye socket closed. 

Instinctively, Slade threw a cross with his left hand, connecting with the side of Robby's head. Bone fought bone as Slade swung again and again, forcing Robby back before ripping off his mask. "Alright kid, now you're dead!" He leveled his blade and stabbed at Robby's chest, but Robby had already squeezed the dial again.

Robby bent backwards, his spine letting go beautifully as the blade hissed into the air where he had been a moment before. "I'm Kid Contortion! No one lays a hand on me!" Slade tried to bring the blade down, but Robby rolled to the side, a surprisingly strong kick bringing Slade to one knee. Robby crouched up, his limbs suddenly limber and flexible. 

Slade let himself rock back, lashing out with his leg. Robby caught the kick with his hands, trying to absorb the blow, but there was too much strength behind it. Robby fell back, hitting the side of the highway divider. Slade pounced back on his feet, coming at Robby with predatory swiftness, but Robby had already squeezed the dial.

A sick look came over his face. "I'm, Sp… Sp… Spittle Spark!" His cheeks puffed out, and he blew at Slade, hard. A thick, sulfuric scent rolled out of his mouth, angry little sparks snapping as flecks of his saliva ignited on contact with the air. They spattered across Slade's face, making him roar in surprise. Robby rolled nimbly to his left, belching incendiary flecks that hissed and popped into flames as they found purchase in kevlar and facial hair. 

Robby snorted, sucking up a thick glob of saliva. His cheeks bulged for a split second, then he spat, the glob crackling angrily into flames as it landed square in the middle of Slade's chest. Slade stepped back, brushing frantically at the slimy, burning glob. Robby jumped back, and ran towards Oliver and his friends, who had made it to the edge of the bridge. Diggle and Oliver held Felicity between them, preparing to jump. 

"Go!" Screamed Robby, closing the distance between them, and the three jumped. Wind rushed past Oliver's ears as they plummeted down, the dark water coming up fast. They struck, the water giving slowly to their force with a loud, cold rush of noise and motion. For a moment the world was black, but they broke the surface, coughing. Oliver looked up.

Robby stood on the edge of the bridge. Behind him the night glowed orange from the flames, and great billowing clouds of smoke rose skywards. Robby waved his hands, still gripping his dial. 

"I'm coming, don't worry, I'm…!" 

There was a crack. A gunshot. A huge red cloud flowered out of Robby's chest, blood splattering into the open air, falling with dark winks towards the water below. Robby looked down at his chest. He looked surprised, his disbelief almost like a friend playing a trick on him. 

"No…" he said, his voice bubbling sickly. His hands trembled, and Oliver could see, even from down in the river, his features a mixture of sadness and anger. "No!" Robby screamed, almost a whine, and his trembling legs gave out. His body crumpled and he fell, slipping off the edge of the bridge and dropping like a rag doll towards the water, hitting the surface with a ringing crack. Oliver screamed and tried to swim towards the spot where Robby had fallen, but he was gone, swirling undercurrents dragging him down, into the black and the cold. 

Two hours later, Oliver and Diggle stared at their coffee. They had escaped downriver, climbing out just north of the Glades. Slade had been forced to leave the bridge as the SCPD arrived to calls from citizens about a blockade and a fire on the bridge. 

Diggle crossed his arms, and stared blankly at his coffee cup. "That might have been the weirdest thing we ever saw so far in all this, Oliver." 

Oliver sighed. "He was a good guy, still, even if he was a little off. That thing he had though, that dial.. " He shook his head again. "It's probably at the bottom of the river now."

Diggle looked up, and their eyes met. "Slade is getting bolder, Oliver. If you've got a move to make you need to make it soon." 

Oliver nodded. "We've got a plan. First thing tomorrow." 

Diggle nodded and left. Felicity was at home, and Oliver was alone, thawing out after a midnight swim in the river. He rolled his chair over the the computer, bringing up the phone directory. He opened the Littleville page, and typed 'Roxie Hodder.' 

Just south of Starling City, the river was joined by two others at the site of a long drowned forest, creating an area of swampland miles across, before a new river formed, feeding west into the Pacific. 

In a patch of weeds, , river rushes hissed in the cold wind. Water lapped gently on a muddy bank, and small bugs droned lazily above the river. The cold water rippled, and a hand burst from beneath, clawing at the mud at the rivers edge. Slowly the second hand appeared, clutching a small, disc shaped object. They worked in tandem, pulling, until Robby fell, rolling onto his back. Freezing cold and caked with mud, Robby grinned looking at the dial. "I…" he whispered, "… am Resurrection Man." 

 

Thanks for reading everyone! This was my first attempt at a real fanfic story, even though i'm pretty sure it's clear i was forcing Dial H onto Arrow. The ending to this was rushed, i admit it, but i've been unable to conceive a proper ending for months, and really wanted to finish this. Thanks to everyone who stuck with it! There is always room for improvement, and i look forward to writing more and getting better! 

In DC comics the H Dial is a small device that looks like an old rotary phone dial. When someone dials H-E-R-O, (4-3-7-6) the device reaches through time, space and dimensions to pluck the powers and abilities of a random super hero and bestow them on whoever dialed. There have been some differences between the various dial stories, But the most recent explored how the memories and traumas of the dialed hero can enter the head of the person who used it and cause severe mental distress. The dial can grant real superpowers, as in one instance when a man dialed the powers of the Flash. For the purpose of this story i tried to ground the "superpowers" in a realm of science, chemical alterations to the human body, instead of powers like flight or heat vision. For more on the H-Dial I strongly recommend Dial H, a new 52 comic by China Mieville. All the issues have been collected into two volumes, "Into You" and "Exchange."


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